"Music goes straight to the soul, opens the canal, and then the images dive in."

Ela Alpi

Interviewed by Hadley Sorsby-Jones

Still from "Henûa," a short film by Ela Alpi

Interviewer:

It seems to me that explorations of magical realism and of feminine sexual power are a big part of your films, and especially of “Henûa,” your most recent film. Why is that?

Ela:

For me, magic is reality, it’s just a matter of seeing it all around you. Trying to talk about magical states through reason is many times misunderstood, and in my experience it’s not very effective.

So I choose to talk through symbols with a beautiful aesthetic. People usually say, “Oh, I like that! I don’t know what it means, but I like it.” And I establish a dialogue with their subconscious, using symbols, archetypes and metaphors that resonate in the viewer.

For me being 100% nude is the ultimate celebration of freedom. Have you ever been nude with other people for an extended period of time, doing something that is not sexual? It is extremely freeing, and this is why Spencer Tunick’s work has had such an impact in the whole world, I believe. What is harder to undress is our soul, to find the thread that connects you with your essence. The essence of everything is a path that needs courage to be walked, especially nowadays. So maybe what you interpret as sexual power is just the true nudity of body and soul. As the Latin American poet Rubén Darío says:

That's why to be sincere is to be potent:her own nakedness makes the star shine;water is speaking the fountain's soulin the crystal voice flowing trough her.

Sexual = creative power, is acknowledging your divinity, beyond gender and what society conceives as sexual or sexuality. Just assuming the power we all have in creating reality.

Interviewer:

Do you feel like many people are in touch with this sort of freedom?

Ela:

As spirituality (beyond religion) becomes more integrated in everyday life, I believe we walk towards freedom.

I look around and see strong changes, the growing cultivation of freedom through being responsible for ourselves. This concept of being self-sustainable, I believe it’s the key in the path towards living in harmony with our planet and all the beings that inhabit it.

We get in touch as we free ourselves from preconceived ideas of how we are supposed to love, feel, relate. Interaction is easier, because it can be spontaneous and flow naturally, without anyone trying to force relationships into preconceived molds.

The more I clean my own conditioning, the easier I connect with others. My head gets less in the way, and my arms (extension of heart chakra) open naturally in a warm embrace.In a world where sexuality is so repressed that it becomes something separated from all the other aspects of our lives, physical contact is cooled down with the fear of being associated with a inappropriate sexual behavior or just misunderstood in general.

Interviewer:

And this cold way of relating, it’s not literally about sex, yeah? More about being able to connect as human beings, as a basic groundwork that would make healthy sexuality possible?

Ela:

In the early 20th century, there was a phenomenon observed by René Spitz (a disciple of Freud). Orphan babies, who had all their basic needs (food, hygiene, etc.), but almost no physical contact, would die. This proves that physical contact is a basic human health NEED. A sustained lack of physical contact is called “skin hunger.”

I believe sexuality is a part of this, a basic function, which enables us to activate our energy and make love with the universe. As I open doors of the hidden power of sexuality I discover that sexual practice has more to do with energy and spirit that anything else.

In societies like yours, in the US, touch is very controlled and diminished, in my eyes in a less than healthy way… I believe this is one of the main reasons of depression and disconnection in your country.

Interviewer:

I can definitely see that, yeah. Touch is so quickly sexualized in the U.S.

Ela:

For me it was very oppressive and sad to be told that I couldn’t touch a child because I could be thought of as molesting the kid. I was like, “Wow, you’re telling me that these kids grow up with no affectionate touch from other people beside their parents?.” I thought: So that’s why North Americans create these thick walls. Pretty often, I met people and as I looked in their eyes I found this thick ice block. It’s like there’s no access to the soul of that human being. This is my personal feeling, and why I felt I couldn´t live there for extended periods of time.

I haven’t seen anywhere else so many people sad and depressed like in America. All countries have their issues, this is just one that really shocked me as I traveled your country.

Interviewer:

Maybe we should make an effort to have more non-sexual, warm, affectionate touch in daily interactions.

Ela:

It’s so important. As I mentioned before, the research of René Spitz.

I learned about his work in workshop in the states, It blew my mind that we can skin-starve to death.

What if we were more conscious of these things? Do you think some social politics could change?

We would probably become more liberated in every way if we regained touch as something natural and healthy. I am sure that sexuality would consequently become healthier.

It's amazing how little knowledge we have about sexuality. We are barely taught about the physical aspects of a sexual encounter but in at least our Western Society, only a few people know and enjoy an integral sexuality, where the energetic interaction is as important as the physical.

There is some information rescued about ancient societies where priestesses practiced sacred sex, and the structures of couples and the concept of fidelity where different than what we live by now.

Priestesses would make love with as many men as they decided to, and this practice was seen as sacred. So the more you would practice, the closer you were to the divine.

The end of practices like this, added to menstruation becoming a garbage and a shame, are the two things I believe took the power away from women.

When we spend time with another women, we all start synchronizing and bleeding at the same time. This, anciently, in nomadic societies, was done in the red tents, where women would rest and share during these special days of the month.

When you find a woman who is sexually empowered it is very rare and many times feels like a threat to what we have learned over centuries. But I believe it makes us be more at peace, and connected with our true selves. Maybe not everyone has the calling to be a priestess, but I do believe we all have the potential to be one.

It is such a powerful experience to feel free, owning your energy and working consciously with it.

Interviewer:

Why film? Why did you choose film as the medium to explore topics like freedom, sexuality, and power?

Ela:

I was sixteen when I first went into a film set, and I just knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I always explored all arts, and film just blends them all in a very potent way, so for me it’s the best medium to communicate.Music goes straight to the soul, opens the canal, and then the images dive in.

Now I am writing my first feature film, and feels like knitting a net where all these strings become part of a whole.

All the narrative lines: characters, sound, the narrator, images, locations, etc.So many layers… it feels a very complete experience of creation.

Interviewer:

You are very detailed in your work.

Ela:

Details make the whole difference for me. I remember I had this boyfriend who gave me these tiny flowers, which you can barely recognize as flowers. Micro-beauty is sublime. And I believe that love is shown through things like, every-day details. People can like my work or not, but nobody can say it isn’t done with dedication and care. I feel a strong respect for the viewer and their time. Doing things with care is my way of showing appreciation for them and respect for their time.

Interviewer:

What is your definition of a meaningful life?

Ela:

The moments when my life seems most worthwhile are when I make someone laugh, when I make someone smile. That makes my day.

Just being a happy and kind human is a revolutionary act.

Ela Alpi is a Latin-American filmmaker and creative producer. Dedicating herself to art for the past 15 years, Ela has developed her own language, mixing surrealism with humor and a potent Latin-American aesthetic. She is an adventurer-nomad who has studied and worked in Chile, Spain, Cuba, Mexico, the USA, and most recently Buenos Aires. This year she won a grant to write the script of her first film, which will be shot in Chile, Cuba, and Mexico. More of her work, including "Henûa," can be found on her website: http://www.elaalpi.com/.